Jean Paul Gaultier announced Simone Rocha to be his next guest designer

A spokewoman for London-based designer Simone Rocha has just confirmed that she will be directing the next couture collection for Jean Paul Galutier, the French maison that from 2020 will offer talented designers the chance to interpret Gaultier's stylistic codes, one collection at a time. After the designs of Julien Dossena, creative director of Rabanne, presented at Paris Haute Couture Week last July, now it is the turn of Rocha, the Irish designer who has achieved fame in the fashion industry thanks to her garments inspired by her roots and romanticism.

The show directed by Rocha will be staged next January, and will mark another debut for the designer, namely her first couture collection. The designer posted a photo on Instagram of a bouquet of flowers with a letter signed by Gaultier congratulating her on her show just staged at London Fashion Week, heralding the arrival of the next one in Paris.

Simone Rocha's universe of pearls, ruffles, lace and contrasts between shades of pink and the incisiveness of total black have attracted a large group of fans in recent years. Quite different from Gaultier's aesthetic, Rocha's is inspired by the designer's Irish and Chinese roots, exploring themes such as marriage, motherhood and feminine nature through stylistic codes appreciated throughout the industry. This new format initiated by Gaultier after the maison's founder left in 2020 has become a staple of Paris Couture week, a fun and artistically rich way to remember Gaultier's narrative and great contribution to the world of fashion, told through the point of view of new designers. Over the years, this project has also involved Haider Ackerman, Olivier Rousteing, Glenn Martens, and Chitose Abe of Sacai.